I have tinnitus and I cry

1.  what meds are you taking?

2.  have you been seen by an ENT doctor?  If so, what meds did they put you on?

3.  Are you taking a sedative such as Ativan?

Hello Eric - I can relate to everything you are saying. 

I have suffered with miserable tinnitus for over 30 years. The constant hissing is relentless and I strugglt to not let it define who I am. I also suffer from some hearing loss along with Meniere's and hyperacusis. I have always evaluated my life as being more significant than the issue of tinnitus. I try to live every day hoping and praying that maybe the next day, the hissing won't be as intense and I'll get a break from the madness, no matter how short. 

I'm hoping your tinntius goes away like your Dad's and you won't have to deal with it. People that do not have tinnitus have no clue what we are going through. It's difficult for them to imagine what we are hearing, the hissing, or the dentist drill or the roaring hum. 

Please don't let this tinnitus define who you are and how valuable you are to others. For the time being, use distraction methods of music and youtube like you're doing. Don't use excessive salt and stay away from alcohol and loud sounds. Even some meds can increase the intensity of your tinnitus and after a while you will know what the instigators are to your tinnitus sensitivity. Maybe you can talk to your doctor about a mild tranqulizer to help you get to sleep and stay asleep.

In view that you are fairly new to all of this, hopefully it's going to just exit. I'm hoping for you. It's just so miserable and don't be afraid to let your family know what you're dealing with. 

I wish you the best and please keep us posted. 

Hello Eric. I'd like to know how old you really are. The first thing you should do is to go to see a doctor. However I myself have been suffering this desease for many years and recently I have been doing a therapy that have helped me to reduce the noise in a very important way. If you want to contact me may be I could help you.... Don't do anything you can regret. Bye.

Although you think it's the end of the world ... it isn't.

I've had Pulsatile Tinnitus, Hyperacusis (Hyper sensitive hearing) and Tinnitus for over 13yrs (24/7 .. 365) now, and it's a case of making this your new normal. By all means chase the Drs and specialists for a solution or to find a cause, but remember that it'll be a very long haul. ENTSs / Drs will tell you to put up with it, but that's because they don't know anything about it, and using masking devices won't help you in the long run. I don't see the point in using them as you're just adding more noise ... pointless.

Get a professional opinion, and then get a second opinion on your situation. There are support groups on Facebook, but don't try silly suppliments and snakeoil potions, as they don't work. This problem has many causes, and some people like me have multiple hearing / neurological problems. I had a major breakdown due to having many / multiple medical issues to contend with. If you feel it's too much, just talk to your GPs and friends and family. I don't have any religeous beliefs, so I obviously don't have that avenue.

I have some other major medical issuesat the moment ( undergoing medical investigation for suspected Oesophageal and Tongue cancer), and they take my mind off the hearing related issues.

My advice is talk to someone in your family, talk to your GP, find a distraction .... don't let your ENT fob you off with a masking device, hearing aid or a live with it answer ... there is a cause.

Rodolfo - are you talking about cognitive behavior therapy? Just wondering because I read a few articles on it. Can you share with the group the therapy you are utilzing that's helping decrease the intensity? Thank you.

Just an update.

I find out that I am coping better now since I decided not to panic any more when I hear the tinnitus. There have been a couple of mornings when the ringing has stopped completely or become very faint that I struggle to hear. When I am working in the library or in a quiet place, the tinnitus starts off with a roar. I now ignore it and surprisingly within about 30 mins, I have to actually look for it to hear it! It becomes part of the background noise that it doesn't bother me as much as it did before. The key to me has been accepting this symptom, refusing to panic and telling myself that it is just a sound and I can cope with it. And then I got some medication to allow me to sleep (used the tablets for 3 days and stopped). There are good and bad days but I am certainly better off now compared to 7 days ago. I still struggle to sleep at night to sleep so I use the tv to mask the sound or some cool music after stopping the use of the medication. I also struggle intermittently with a feeling of fullness and unease with the ringing left ear and a bit of headache when the ringing is really high. The suggestions by a member of this forum has been useful to some extent in reducing the ringing at times and for this I am grateful. I am seeing and ENT consultant in a couple of weeks.

I also read an interesting article on habituation that was helpful. Not sure whether I can copy and paste it here. Perhaps, someone may find the content useful.

Hi Eric

Well done, keep with the positive thinking.

Robin

Eric! I can totally understand where you are coming from in some aspect and I really do extend my empathy to you. Have you tried using Lipoflavonoid for treatment? Granted we know that there is not a cure - and a lot of the treatment options out there are so hit and miss. Here's a link to their website and maybe you can ask your physician if this would be a good option for you. https://lipoflavonoid.com/products/lipo-flavonoid-day-night-kit/